Mobile Mavens: Apple Games reaction and a feature wish list for the App Store
This week at WWDC, Apple unveiled its new Games app, designed as a one-stop shop for players' games and discovery, including new social features like achievements, leaderboards and the ability to invite friends to play.
Meanwhile, the build-up to the event has seen the tech giant's regulatory battles hit a losing streak - with a US judge breaking open the App Store and the EU's Digital Markets Act looking to do the same.
We caught up with the Mobile Mavens to discuss the announcement of Apple Games for their reactions, and also asked what else they'd like to see from Apple to improve the mobile games ecosystem for consumers and developers.
Will Luton
As I understand it: It’s a revamped Game Center with a little bit of the App Store rolled in. So far I don’t see any new features.
This is Apple trying to claw back control over distribution and discovery. But in classic Apple style, not understanding games.
I don’t think players care much about their friends scores or achievements in 2025. It’s a shrinkingly small number of people. Very few mobile players are competitive against their friends, they’re locked in to either solo or stranger play. So that is not a draw.
They also don’t care about discovery. That’s a developer rather than player problem.
I don’t think this will have any significant impact.
Louise Wooldridge
Overall, I think Apple Games is a positive step in terms of the user experience. It should improve discoverability given all the extra space that will now be dedicated purely to gaming rather than all apps.
It is a positive sign that Apple continues to invest in its gaming efforts - however lightly. I'm assuming it will also have some sort of integrated advertising solution specifically focused on games which, again, could improve discoverability.
I do feel that the social element of gaming can be lacking on mobile, just due to the nature of mobile gaming as spontaneous, quick, perhaps when you're on the move or on public transport, and typically centred on a different demographic to that of big screen gaming. So the social features being introduced here are quite welcome, and may go some way to improving social gaming on mobile as a whole.
It's also interesting that this announcement has come shortly after the RAC7 acquisition - there are signs that Apple may be looking to develop exclusive games content and is pre-empting this by creating a one-stop gaming hub with improved discoverability.
However, RAC7 is a tiny studio (made up of only two people!), so it does relatively little in terms of repositioning Apple as a more serious player in the games space.
In terms of changes Apple could make to improve its games offering, I think it could provide improved controller support - it currently does the bare minimum, but I think more advanced or nuanced features could in turn support the introduction of more triple-A content.
In the past couple of years Apple has also introduced a policy of removing games from the App Store that haven't been updated in two years, which is problematic - some games simply don't need frequent updates, and it is damaging for smaller creators who perhaps aren't operating live service titles, or have stopped operations, meaning their titles could just be lost.
James Crabb
Apple’s new Games app, bundling recommendations, leaderboards, and challenges, is a welcome update, but let’s be honest: it’s long overdue.
Mobile gaming has exploded, becoming more social, competitive, and community-driven. Yet until now, Apple has treated gaming as an afterthought. This app feels like the company finally waking up.
But a hub alone isn’t enough. If Apple wants to be a real player, it needs to go further: real-time events, deeper social features, and better support for developers and cross-device play.
The new app is a good start. Now Apple needs to level up.
Christian Lövstedt
As developers, we always support initiatives that improve the gaming experience and enhance the discoverability of new games on iOS. This looks like an interesting addition, and we will definitely explore which of these new features can be utilised in The Battle of Polytopia to appeal to both our existing and new players.
I think a wish list system similar to Steam would be great, especially one that notifies players when there are discount campaigns. That way, you have a greater possibility as a developer to reach players who are interested in your game, rather than relying solely on visibility in the store.
Improved support for bundles that automatically manage whether a player already owns certain content within the bundle would also be great.
Marca Wosoba
Apple seems to be offering an olive branch to the very developers who generate the majority of its App Store revenue. While skepticism is understandable, it would be premature to dismiss this out of hand.
That said, it’s not particularly exciting unless it meaningfully improves distribution. Discovery and distribution are still the biggest challenges facing the games industry today.
Andrew Wailes
I think it's an interesting step, maybe a swing at becoming the "Steam for Apple devices", but I’m not convinced it’s all that exciting just yet.
The idea of better showcasing games outside of the App Store makes sense, the App Store has always been a struggle for game discoverability, but how useful this new approach will be in practice is still unclear.
Personally, what I'd really love to see is more granular tagging for mobile games, something that lets me filter out games that prioritise monetisation over gameplay.
I’m a pretty avid gamer and I want to enjoy more mobile games, but it’s tough when most are designed around aggressive monetisation.
I don’t mind paying for games or for extras like cosmetic skins, stuff that enhances the experience without altering the core gameplay, but I don’t want to be nudged constantly into spending just to keep playing.
If Apple (or any platform) gave users tools to find real, premium-style games over the exploitative ones, that would be a far more exciting move in my view.
Eve Herrera
Apple Games will be a great opportunity for indie game devs to win more exposure.
Non-gaming apps occupy more than 85% of the iOS App Store. Imagine all that space opening up to showcase games only!
I’m also confident that Apple will find new ways to reward great products, as with App Store featuring, but now having more space for creativity on how they do it, since the only focus is games.
All the ‘social playing’ new features I consider are part of a trend of merging real life with screen life more and more. It is also something that gamers have proven that they enjoy after seeing Discord's predominance for group gaming.
And this also opens up an opportunity for single-player game developers to explore, with extremely low effort, multiplayer concepts thatwork for them. The ones who go one mile ahead and start creating or optimising game experiences based on group play will win here.
The App Store could even go a mile further and, as they have Playground (AI image creation) they could have Gameground, or iGame, or GameOS, an easy, prompt-triggered launchpad for users to create their own games.
This could also be taken to gamers’ competitions where studios announce an open competition for a new feature on X game, or a new game for Y franchise.
It would be making the consumer → creators, something super fun and engaging that non-console has created so far.
Stuart De Ville
Apple Games looks like a step in the right direction for the platform, especially with its focus on discovery through personalised game recommendations, challenges, and leaderboards.
These features could encourage more social engagement and bring a sense of community to the Apple ecosystem, which is something the mobile gaming scene has been yearning for.
However, there’s still a lot of room for improvement in the broader landscape of the App Store. Discovery remains a massive challenge for developers, especially for smaller studios with limited marketing budgets. Algorithms seem to favour the big players, which makes it harder for indie games to gain traction.
Apple could do more to refine search functionality or allow for more targeted and transparent discoverability features, maybe something that takes into account niche interests and broader genre-based recommendations.
As for revenue share, it’s well-known that developers are hoping for more favourable terms. Given the rising costs of development and marketing, reducing the App Store’s cut or introducing tiered revenue models based on app performance could incentivise more innovation, and ultimately, attract more developers to the platform.
A more developer-friendly approach would go a long way in maintaining the health of the ecosystem.
One last thing I’d love to see: a greater push towards enhancing social features for mobile games beyond just leaderboards and challenges.
Allowing for deeper community engagement, such as better in-game event management or even cross-platform integration for a broader "play together" experience, could truly transform the way mobile gaming connects people.
Ali Ingham
Discoverability is an ongoing issue within the film and tv industry. Movies and shows that audiences might enjoy are often buried in unsearchable streaming service catalogues, or tagged with incorrect content. Apple giving games more visibility could be a step in the right direction for all media.
I particularly like the social features in the new app, for a more interconnected mobile gaming community - perhaps we might see something similar from the streamers in the near future. At a time where we’re all in content overload, improvements in media curation and personalisation are definitely welcomed.
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